


Awakening

by reddiegays



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Eddie Kaspbrak Lives, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak is a Mess, Emotional Manipulation, First Kiss, Fix-It, Flashbacks, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier is a Little Shit, also richie changes eddie's cheek bandage which is like uwu, but it's myra that's waiting for him when he wakes up, eddie wakes up in hospital after the losers save him, he nopes the fuck out wanting you know who right?, it's better than it sounds. I hope, so the others persuade richie to steal a doctor's coat to sneak in there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 21:41:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21289235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reddiegays/pseuds/reddiegays
Summary: Eddie wakes up hospital after being stabbed by Pennywise but instead of seeing the love of his life, Myra is there waiting for him.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier/Eddie Kaspbrak
Comments: 6
Kudos: 437





	Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> doctors describe his condition as stable but homosexual

Eddie awoke slowly and painfully. The room was far too bright for his liking, straining his eyes as he blinked them open carefully. His head whirled and he felt dizzy, sick and tired. His chest was agony; it felt as though an elephant was sitting on his sternum. His entire body ached. His throat was dry. Basically, he felt like shit. He glanced around; he was in a hospital room, that was clear. Clean, comfortable bed, beeping machines, flowers and cards on his bedside table. Someone was holding his hand and his chest felt just a little less tight. Oh, yes, it all came back to him. The spear he’d thrown at the killer clown, Richie falling to the ground, the smacker Eddie had planted on him to rouse him from the deadlights, the claw piercing through him, the others gathering around and killing the alien creature. Eddie must have lost consciousness after that, he didn’t remember anything else.

He focused on the warm hand touching his, attempting to speak; the only thing that came out of his mouth was a croak. The person looked up, squeezing his hand happily.

“Oh, my Eddie Bear,” Eddie couldn’t help but groan at the sound of Myra’s voice, the last person he wanted to see right now. He had to know if the others were okay, how they’d managed to get him out of Neibolt. He wanted to see Richie. Myra was stroking his face, pressing kisses to his limp hand, “it’s okay, honey. I’m here. You’re going to be okay.”

With a great effort, Eddie managed to lift his hand to gesture for a glass of water or something, anything to drink. Myra quickly filled a glass of water and held it to his lips, stroking his hair softly. He drank gratefully more or less instantly. He wanted to say ‘where are my friends? I want to see my friends. I need to know they’re okay, they need to know I’m okay’ but the only thing that came out, in a voice that definitely did not sound like his, was, “Rich...”

“Shhh,” Myra whispered soothingly, holding his hand between her two, “I’m here, Eddie. I’m not going anywhere.”

“My friends,” Eddie rasped, struggling to keep his eyes open. He was still exhausted and in so much pain but he was determined, “I-I need...them...”

“They’re not your friends, Eddie Bear,” Myra said, her tone of voice sweet and manipulative; she continued to stroke his cheek, lulling him to sleep, “look at what they did to you. It’s okay, honey. I’m the only friend you need. Rest, I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Not the most comforting of thoughts but Eddie couldn’t stop himself from drifting back off to sleep with nothing but his friends on his mind.

* * *

“Ugh,” Eddie winced, slamming his shot glass onto the table, “that’s fucking disgusting.”

“Stop being such a girl, dude,” Richie was saying, sliding another shot in his direction; he watched him knock it back with another look of disgust and snorted, “oh my God, you haven’t changed a bit, Eds.”

“Neither have you, asshole,” Eddie was smiling. The others were engrossed in their own conversations in between drinking and eating. The Jade was beginning to empty but none of them were ready to leave just yet. Eddie gestured the bottle, “another?”

Richie nodded, watching Eddie fondly. It was just like old times, like nothing had changed between them. Of course, everything had changed. They weren’t kids anymore and Eddie was married. Speaking of which...

“Shit, I can’t believe I haven’t asked you about your missus...” Eddie completely missed the glass he was supposed to be filling. He cursed under his breath, mopping up the spillage with several napkins, Richie assisting him, “...sorry, Eds, touchy subject or something?”

“No, no...uh, she’s okay,” for some reason he was reluctant to look at Richie. Instead, he stared at his wedding ring, twisting it awkwardly, “my Mom introduced us, actually,” he shook his head, finally looking up at Richie, “I don’t want to talk about her. I want to hear about you. How come you’re not tied down?”

“What, and deny all the guys out there this?” He gestured over himself smugly and Eddie rolled his eyes, subtly looking his friend up and down. He had a point. He shook his head; maybe he’d had quite enough to drink. Richie clearly hadn’t, pouring himself yet another shot, “well, I’m single. I’ve never been one to settle down. There’s just never been anyone I’ve...” he paused, meeting Eddie’s gaze. He swallowed, “loved.”

For the longest while, Eddie couldn’t look away and he didn’t want to think about why that was. He was more than a little thankful when Bill interrupted and announced they should probably get to the motel.

* * *

“This is bullshit.”

Richie and the other four Losers had been forced into the waiting area when Myra had arrived, furiously ordering them away from Eddie’s bedside. She’d demanded they leave, spitting poison at them about what they had done to her precious husband. They’d reluctantly agreed to leave his room but stubbornly refused to leave the Hospital until Eddie was awake. Richie was pacing, his hands twitching anxiously; he couldn’t stand being separated from Eddie, especially when he needed him most. Bev smiled at him sympathetically, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“She’s his next of kin, Rich,” she tried to be reassuring but even Bev knew she he was right, “she has a right to tell us we can’t see him.”

“Richie saved his life,” Mike said. He was sitting by the window next to Bill, his arms folded and just as pissed at the situation as Richie was, “it’s bullshit.”

“There’s no point ar-arguing about it,” Bill chimed in, always the reasonable one. He looked to his friends, trying to be supportive, “Myra is ne-never going to let us in there.”

“We should be there when he wakes up,” Richie was still pacing, stopping every now and then to watch Eddie’s room at the end of the corridor. Doctors and nurses routinely entered and exited; it was driving him mad not knowing. He shook his head desperately, “it’s not fair. He’ll- I just want to see him.”

“He’ll want to see you, too, sweetie,” Bev rubbed his arm comfortingly, looking to the others for help. They were lost, unsure of what to say to comfort their distraught friend.

“Yeah, well...it doesn’t matter,” Richie was tempted to light up a cigarette right in the middle of the Hospital; he was so stressed he could do with a drag, ”like Big Bill said, she’s never going to let us in there.”

“Maybe not you,” Ben suddenly appeared in the doorway, his expression far too pleased considering the circumstances. He held up a doctor’s coat and smiled smugly, “but she can’t stop Doctor Tozier.”

Meanwhile, in Eddie’s Hospital room, Myra was fussing with his pillows, rambling incessantly about how she was going to look after him. She’d just finished telling him about wheelchair accessibility and living assistance, and Eddie had just about had enough.

“Myra,” he interrupted, still very weak and sleepy but he had to get this out now or he was surely going to go mad, “I-I want...”

“What is it, dear?” She was gripping his hand again, smoothing his hair with her other, “whatever you need, I’m here.”

Eddie feebly squeezed her hand back, smiling slightly, “I want a divorce.”

He didn’t have time to appreciate the look of utter shock on Myra’s face before he was once again slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

“OW!”

“Stop fucking moving.”

“I can’t help it,” Eddie winced, screwing his eyes shut so he didn’t have to watch what Richie was doing, “it fucking hurts.”

“No, shit, you were stabbed in the fucking face, dude.”

“I know, asshole.”

After a couple more agonising minutes, Richie was gently applying a new bandage; he carefully titled Eddie’s head to the side, admiring his handiwork, “never ask me to do that again. You’re such a whiny little bitch.”

He was about to move away but Eddie held his hand in place against his cheek. He smiled softly at his old friend, stroking his thumb against the back of Richie’s hand, “thanks, Rich.”

Richie’s little gay heart skipped several beats and he swallowed hard, trying not to focus on the fact he was literally holding the love of his life’s face in his hand, “‘s okay. I don’t mind...was nothing...” Eddie ducked his head, then, clearly attempting not to cry. Richie’s heart ripped in half and he brought his other hand to Eddie’s face, “hey, it’s okay, Eds. I killed him, he’s not going to hurt you again.”

Eddie shook his head, still holding Richie’s hand against his cheek, “it’s not that. I don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t.”

“You don’t know that,” tears were falling unrelenting now. The others had long since gone to bed and they were alone in the dining area of the quiet motel. The lights were dimmed and medical supplies littered the table around them but they still held each other, blind to their surroundings, “I’m scared, Rich. IT could hurt you.”

Richie brought their foreheads together, swiping away Eddie’s tears with his thumbs, “we’re going to make it, Eddie. I know we will.”

“I want to believe you,” Eddie said with a weak smile. He looked up to meet Richie’s eyes which were shining beneath his large glasses. He swallowed, unwilling to pull away.

“What would you say if I asked you to run away with me?”

Eddie chuckled although there was no humour, “’say when.’”

* * *

“You’re all fucking nuts, there is no way this is going to work, she knows what I look like.”

“You’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t see your face, then,” Ben said, gesturing the coat. When Richie didn’t move, still holding his arms against his chest, Ben rolled his eyes, “come on, man.”

“Fuck off.”

“Rich, if you d-don’t go in there and tell Ed-Eddie you love him, we will.”

Richie looked between his friends, all encouraging him to take the chance. They were all idiots; they all had someone or something in their lives to make them happy, give them meaning. He had no one, Richie wasn’t sure he could take a rejection. Yeah, Eddie had kissed him to bring him out of the deadlights but he would’ve done that for any of them. Still, he didn’t want to turn down his one opportunity to see him. Sighing, Richie snatched the coat and shrugged it on.

“Alright, I think you’re all fucking mad, there’s no way he loves me but fuck me, right?”

“Stop being such a baby,” Bev nudged his shoulder, handing him a blank clipboard. She was smiling like a proud parent, “go get your man.”

“Go fuck yourselves.”

The others just chuckled, patting his shoulder for good luck. Taking a deep breath, Richie pushed the door leading to Eddie’s room, making sure to hide his face from Myra behind the clipboard. The woman was poking and prodding at the poor man, fussing about with his pillows and just generally driving him up the wall.

“It’s okay, dear, I you didn’t mean it.”

“It’s over, Myra,” Eddie said through gritted teeth, trying to wave her away with what little strength he had. He sighed, rubbing his eyes, “we both know it. I don’t need you. I’ll be perfectly fine on my own. With my friends.”

Richie moved over to the bedside table, pretending to be engrossed in Eddie’s chart as Myra waved a hand, continuing trying to make Eddie more comfortable.

“Oh, honey, you don’t know what you’re saying,” she finally stopped messing him around, sitting back in the chair by the window. She picked up a magazine, browsing several walking aids and wheelchairs, “you’ve had a terrible accident. Anyway, some friends...they’re not here for you, Eddie. I am. I always will be.”

Eddie groaned in frustration, sinking back into the pillows which were now lumpy and all over the place thanks to Myra’s incessant fiddling with them. The all too quiet doctor stepped beside his bed, then, moving the clipboard away from his face, revealing the gorgeous eyes, large glasses and stupid smile Eddie knew all too well - he’d been dreaming about it since he’d been brought here. He let out a gasp, a smile spread across his face for the first time since he’d been admitted to this hellhole. Richie quickly pressed a finger to his lips, gesturing with his eyes towards Myra. Unfortunately, she’d looked up at his gasp.

“What is it, honey?” She was at his side again, practically elbowing Richie out of the way, “do you need more painkillers?” Myra rounded on Richie, then, whose back was conveniently turned, “don’t you have something for him? What do they pay for you?”

Just as Richie was about to suggest exactly where he’d like to stick a needle, Eddie cleared his throat nonchalantly, “err, Myra, could I get some water?”

“Sure, dear,” she smiled sweetly and it was enough to turn both Richie and Eddie’s stomachs. Myra poured him a glass of water from the jug beside his bed and Eddie shook his head quickly.

“No, um. cold water. From the machine. In the canteen. On the other side of the hospital.”

It was a shitty excuse, yes, but the ‘doctor’ wasn’t providing much help. In fact, it looked as though he was trying not to burst into laughter. Eddie glared at his back, shooting him silent curses. Myra shook her head, smoothing back his hair yet again.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Eddie Bear,” the doctor let out a giggle and hastily covered it up as a cough. Eddie made a mental note to kill him once he was back on his feet, “we need to look after you. I don’t want to put your body through anything extreme, right now.”

Behind Myra’s back, Richie was gesturing frantically, urging Eddie to get rid of her; he went as far as miming throwing his wedding ring out of the window. Eddie scowled at him, attempting to convey through stares to do something, anything, to get rid of his overbearing wife. After several minutes of silent arguing, Richie rolled his eyes and raised the clipboard again.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” Richie put on a Professional Voice that was far too deep and unnerving for Eddie’s liking. He sounded like a serial killer about to harvest his organs, “it’s time for the patient’s medication.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I won’t get in the way.”

Richie was getting fed up now and he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, “it’s not oral medication.”

Eddie’s eyes widened comically and he gave Myra a nervous smile. Myra, herself, looked rather stunned and quietly excused herself, racking her brains to try and remember any such medication on Eddie’s list. Once they were finally alone, both of them breathed a sigh of relief. An awkward silence settled between them at first, neither sure of what to say. They couldn’t keep their eyes off of each other for very long and Eddie tilted his head, eyeing his friend warily.

“If you think you’re coming anywhere near my ass...”

Richie smirked, putting on a mock pout, “you break my heart, Eds.”

“Where the fuck have you been?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, dumbass, your lovely wife banned us from seeing you,” Richie explained, pulling up a chair beside Eddie’s bed. Eddie shook his head.

“She told me you guys left after you dropped me off here. I didn’t believe her,” he quickly added, shifting slightly in the bed; his chest still ached and he was still incredibly weak but he was damned if he was going to miss this moment. “I knew she was lying to me. You guys saved my life. I just wanted to see you.”

“We’re fine, buddy, we’re all okay. Remember what I told you in the motel? ‘We’re going to make it.’ I told you.”

“Shut the fuck up, Rich, and come here.”

Richie swallowed hard as he shuffled closer, leaning carefully over Eddie to hug him; it was uncomfortable and awkward for their positions but, god, if they didn’t need it. They were alive, thanks to each other. They pulled away slightly, resting their foreheads together. Eddie’s fingers slid up into his hair, angling his head slightly in order to kiss him like he had in the sewer only this time, Richie kissed him back as if his life depended on it. A chorus of what sounded like four people cheering erupted from outside, interrupting their intimate moment; Richie dropped his head to Eddie’s shoulder as he happily waved at the friends outside the window.

“I missed you, asshole.”

Eddie glanced down at Richie, smiling, “I missed you, too, dipshit.”

“Now, do us both a favour and ditch that wife of yours so I can take you home, yeah?” Eddie nodded, unable to keep the smile off of his face. Richie ducked his head to kiss him again, “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here when Myra finally gets it.”

“I think she’ll get the picture,” Eddie said, pointedly twisting off his wedding ring and placing it on the table beside him, “it might take a while but I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of saying how gay I am for you.”

Richie snorted, “dude...”

“I know, shut the fuck up,” Richie gave him one last dazzling smile, turning to leave the room, “Rich?” The comedian stopped at the door, his eyebrow arched questioningly and Eddie smirked, “keep the coat, yeah?”

Oh, Richie’s gay ass heart wasn’t the only thing that jumped at that. He managed to blink the stars from his eyes and stutter out, “shit, Eds, that fucking clown pierce your heterosexuality or something?”

“Come on, Rich, we both know I’m as straight as you are.”

Fair enough, Richie thought, nodding. He gazed at Eddie with pure love, “I love you, Eddie Spaghetti.”

“I love you, too, dickwad.”

Richie left the Hospital room feeling, for the first time in his life, hopeful for the future.


End file.
